Heroes of Tomorrow
by TheAngelT'hy'la
Summary: James, the eldest son of the Black Widow and the Winter Soldier, must lead the rest of the Avengers' children on a mission into the past to save the future. But will he, with his own demons to face, be able to carry all this weight on his shoulders? [Suggestion: Watch "Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow" before reading for better understanding. Some artistic license has been taken.]
1. Chapter 1

James stands staring at the dying world around him.

Ten minutes ago he and his friends were fighitng Ultron's robots in Ultra City, they were even winning, when matter itself began to crumble.

Pym had tried running away from it. The buildings had just faded, along with every android nearby, but Pym just wasn't fast enough. Even after shrinking and flying, whatever it was caught him.

All James could do was hold Azari back and stare in horror as Pym disappeared… Along with his panicked screams.

The world continued to flicker like a bad hologram and then fade. The androids never seemed to notice. They just kept firing at the heroes, who ran as fast as they could from the disappearing buildings.

Azari was the next to go. He had been faster than everyone else, but he turned a corner and ran directly into it.

One after another they all disappeared. After Azari, it was Hawkeye and then Torunn. Tony had acted like he didn't know what they were running from.

"James, where are you going? The fight's back this way!" He had said before vanishing, himself.

Now James stands alone on a circle of the metal ground, the Nothing edging closer.

_So, this is how I'm going to die_, He thought_. By something I can't even see. Alone_

It wasn't the dying that scared him, but the dying alone. He had always been prepared to die, but he'd always thought his brother and sisters would be beside him.

James drops his father's shield and sinks to his knees, eyes closed. He looks up to where the sky used to be and he can hear the shrieks of his friends. I couldn't help them…

And now no one can help him.

He closes his eyes and feels a surge of electricity in his brain as the Nothing engulfs him.

For a moment he feels nothing. It could've been only a second or an eternity, he doesn't really know, but James begins to hear something…

"Let me go, you freak." Voices.

"How dare you handle the daughter of Thor this way!" Torunn.

James's eyes jolt open at the sound of his "sister's" voice, bringing with them the sting of light and a strange liquid surrounding him.

His senses run wild, as if they've never been used.

James realizes he's in some sort of vial-like container with a mask feeding him oxygen.

"Take your mitts off of me." Hawkeye growls.

James can see through the glass, these people in white lab coats taking his friends and chaining them to tables.

He pulls at his own restraints in the tube and snaps them like strings.

Hearing someone yell "turn on the gas", he yanks off his mask.

He hangs onto the chains and kicks with all his might at the glass, cracks spider-webbing everywhere.

After two more well-placed kicks, James comes crashing out, along with the semi-clear liquid.

He lunges for the closest lab-coat, picks him up and throws him at the others, knocking them over and out like bowling pins.

"You guys okay?" James asks, breaking the restraints around Torunn with his bare hands.

He continues to do the same to everyone before he realizes they're all staring at him. "What? We gotta go right now, before anyone else comes." But Azari just points at James.

He frowns. "What?" He says again.

"T-turn around." Is all Azari says.

James turns around to find a reflective wall paneling, and in it he sees himself, or he assumes it's himself.

What he sees is a tall, muscly young man in nothing but slim-fitting, white shorts and leather-like straps around his torso.

Behind him, he can see his friends, all eyes on his back.

He turns enough to see what they're staring at and he gasps.

Neatly folded and held securely in place by the straps are two pure white, feathery wings.

By now, Torunn has gotten past the shock and is stripping the scientists.

"Here," she says, throwing everyone a set of clothes. "Put these on."

Only now does James realize that he and his friends are all wearing the same shorts. (Torunn also wearing a sports bra made from the same material as the shorts)

James dons the clothes given to him, struggling a few times with his wings.

After all are dressed, they carefully stow the now half-naked scientists into a nearby cupboard before nonchalantly walking into the empty hall.

James readjusts his labcoat. His shirt's untucked in th back, making room for his wings, but the lab coat is chafing the tops.

"Where are we going?" Pym asks. At 15, he's the youngest of all of them.

"Shhh." is all he gets from Azari, who is attempting to keep his pants, which are way too big for him, from slipping to the floor.

They hardly pass anyone, but when they do, they keep Pym and Azari nearest the wall, so as not to be noticed.

James sees a sign on the wall ahead.

_**Shuttle Bay**_

Torunn sees it as well and motions for everyone to go in.

The team slips in behind some crates by the wall. Hawkeye puts his finger to his mouth and points to a shuttle not far away.

There, a mechanic is putting his tools in his kit.

Torunn mouths the words "stay here" and makes her way closer.

Coming up behind the man, she silently picks up a crowbar and readies herself to swing when red lights start flashing and an alarm goes off.

The man turns and, seeing her, tries to pull the crowbar from her hands, but Hawkeye, who found a rubber band, shoots a stray bolt between the man's eyes.

No sooner does the man hit the floor than they're all clambering into the shuttle.

James settles himself into the pilot's chair, as best he can with his new wings, and straps himself in.

Azari seals the door and leaps into a seat in the back.

Torunn slips into the co-pilot's seat while James scans the controls.

"Can you fly this thing?" she asks, clicking her restraints into place.

James shrugs. Truthfully, ever since he had first flown in the Quin-Jet, he'd poured over every flight manual he could find (easily done with every manual known to man being in the Quin-Jet's database) but he'd never seen a set-up like this.

"We;; that's reassuring." Hawkeye quipped, as he and Pym buckled themselves in.

James found the power switch and fiddled around with switches.

As he steered towards the hanger doors, he flipped a red switch clearly marked "Weapons."

Azari's chair began to rise and he found himself in a gun turret inside a glass dome on top of the shuttle.

"Azari," James called up to him. "Blow the doors." and he started forward, right as a whole armada of soldiers burst through the bay doors.

Their guns started blazing.

Azari aimed the gun and fired, a red beam blasting the bay doors apart and knocking the soldiers on their rears.


	2. Chapter 2

The shuttle burst through the wreckage of the door and into what looks like a glass tube.

Torunn can see fish swimming past.

James quickly adjusts to the new surrounding and shoots the shuttle forward.

There's another door a few yards ahead.

"Azari…" Torunn calls.

"I see it," Azari replies, aiming at the only barrier between them and freedom.

One blast of the gun and the water pours in, forcing James to gun the engines.

The shuttle flies out of the hole and quickly begins to sink.

James hits a few buttons until the engines become turbines.

After a few minutes of clutching the arms of their seats, Pym is the first to move.

"I'm gonna see if I can find out where the autopilot is," he mumbles.

James unbuckles himself and gives his seat over to Pym.

"Hawkeye, take my seat and help Pym." Torunn takes James' arm and leads him to the back.

James, suddenly feeling lightheaded, rests against his friend as she leads hiim through the hatch and into what looks like a medical bay.

Setting him down on a bed, Torunn looks him in the eyes.

"Are you alright?" she inquires. The look in her eyes is one of motherly worry and James knows he can't lie.

"I- I don't know." His voice catches in his throat. He lays his head in his hands.

Torunn hugs him tightly.

"There, there, brother. Everything's going to be alright."

Fear finally starts to sink into both of them. During all the excitement, none of them really had time for fear or to process what had happened.

Torunn placed her hand on James' back and could feel the wings under his shirt, sending a shiver down her spine.

_When I find the people responsible for this…_

* * *

"So, what the heck just happened?" Hawkeye's voice carries from under the open consoles.

"I don't know," Azari answers, leaning against the wall, arms folded. He stares unwavering at the window.

Pym sits in the captain's chair, studying the controls.

"What do you think happened to James?" Pym asks quietly, trying to concentrate and hide his fear.

Azari lays his hand on the younger's shoulder and squeezes slightly before walking away.

Pym sighs and shakes his head in an attempt to shake away the loose thoughts.

The team stands around a large, rectangular table in a back room in the watercraft.

There's a soft glow from the board on the top.

"Okay," Hawkeye smacks both his palms on the table top. "Two questions: One, where are we and two, why are we here?"

Torunn marches to a control panel on the side of the table and presses a few buttons, causing images to appear above the table.

"Pym has been able to hack into the mainframe of this ship and was able to find something…" Torunn pauses, swallowing hard and lowering her gaze. "He was able to find out what happened, but I'm not sure what it means completely."

Pym stands quietly beside her, eyes downcast and arms around himself.

Torunn continues to input another command into the computer. A video comes up and the friends stare openmouthed as it unfolds before them.

The video is of a man in a black suit in front of a brick wall. Blonde hair, ocean blue eyes and a killer smile.

"Hello." His voice, thick as tar and sweet as honey. "My name is Samuel Whitman. If you are watching this then it is time. Time for you to die.

"Now most of us 'bad guys' tend to fail in our various endeavors because we have to give our mandatory monologues. I almost decided against it but realized that… Well, quite frankly, it can't hurt anything. When the world sees this, it will already be too late.

"Let me explain to you why. The entire universe depends on these people you call 'The Avengers.' 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes,' I believe you call them. Many have recognized that just as teh Avengers keep the world from destroying itself, they can also destroy it just as easily.

"Almost two decades ago, I came up with a plan. You seee, I knew that I couldn't make the Avengers destroy everything they've protected any more than my predecessors. But what about their children? The children of the most powerful beings in the universe.

"A few years later, I kidnapped 5 of them and put them in a contraption of my own design. It creates a completely realistic universe inside a person's head, making them think that it is reality. I created a universe in these five childrens' mind, much like ours but different in a few aspects. But these tiny changes" He pauses for effect. "Will drive them mad and cause them to turn against their parents, your saviors, and tear this reality apart. Leaving me as the soul ruler of the survivors." The man suddenly smiles the most frightening smile any of them have ever seen. "Long live the king."

The table's light dims again and the image of the man disappears.

They all just stand there, unmoving.

After a few moments, James swallows.

"Is there anything else?" He asks hoarsely.

Torunn shakes her head, eyes closed.

Azari puts his arm around Pym, trying to comfort himself as much as the younger boy.

Hawkeye slams both his fists on the table before sinking onto the floor, hands in his hair.

James can see Torunn's whole body shaking and knows none of them know what to do next. It's all up to him.

"Torunn," James' voice is deep and unwavering. "Bring up a map of where we are."

Torunn carefully types in a command and a globe appears in the center of the table with one red dot in the Atlantic Ocean in the northern part of the Bermuda Triangle.

_Perfect location_, he thinks. James studies the map, thinking about what the man said.

James prays that he will know what to do.

And suddenly, he does.

"Alright, here's the plan." Hawkeye stands up and glares at him. "We go here," he points at New York. "That psycho said we're the Avengers' kids, still, right? If our parents are anything like what we thought they would be, they won't have given up looking for us."

"But you heard what that guy said," Hawkeye retorts. "There's things out here in the real world that are supposed to drive us insane."

"Hawkeye's right," Azari chimes in, quietly. "But what else can we do?"

"Pym? Do you have any thoughts?" Torunn asks.

Pym shakes his head, still staring at the ground.

"Then it's settled," She pauses. "Unless you have another plan?"

Hawkeye opens his mouth to say something but changes his mind and shakes his head instead.

"Alright then," James takes a breath. "We're going to New York."


	3. Chapter 3

"James, come quick!" James was jolted from his sleep by Torunn's cry.

He leaped off the bed and ran to the cockpit but was stopped in his tracks.

The controls were fading. But not just the controls, the entire room was disappearing around them.

James turned back and saw the room he had just left was following suit.

"What do we do?" Pym whimpered.

"I don't know." Torunn squeaked.

"We're gonna be okay, we're gonna be okay…" James said, mostly to himself.

He could feel water beneath his feet and see it leaking through the roof.

"Pym, how far down are we?"

"About 4,200 meters." Pym stammered.

"Can we survive that pressure?"

"I…" Pym looked around him.

"Pym! Is there any way we can survive this?" James demanded.

Pym looked at him, fear in his eyes. "No."

James looked around at his friends. No, his family. He wouldn't give up on them.

"Everybody, take a deep breath and swim to the surface. We're gonna be okay."

"But, James-" Pym was silenced when the floor fully disappeared. Water crashed all around.

James slammed his eyes shut at the sudden rush of salt water but forced them back open to reveal…

Nothing.

There was nothing, not even darkness.

James flailed, searching for something; Anything!

He could feel his mind beginning to slip.

_Oxygen. I need oxygen._

But just as his mind began to shut down, he fell, water following, and landed on his face.

He pushed himself up onto his knees, coughing and gagging for air.

When his eyes adjusted, he saw a door in front of him.

Just a door, nothing else. Blackness everywhere except for a wooden door with a simple, silver knob.

Standing, James felt compelled to open it.

He turned the knob and it opened.

Light poured in and through the door James saw…

"Mom?" He whispered.

The woman, with shoulder-length red hair pulled back messily in a bun and scarlet lips, looked up at him and smiled.

"Jimmy, you're soaked! Come inside and dry off." She sang, a Russian accent barely noticeable.

He couldn't help but step in.

"But… How are you here?" He croaked, coming closer.

She looked at him quizzically.

"Are you feeling okay, golubchik?"

James looked around at the room.

It looked like a family lived there. A normal everyday home with pictures of smiling people on the walls and through a door, James could see the kitchen where a refrigerator stood, covered in children's drawings and finger-paintings. And the door he'd just come through led out to a normal street on a normal day.

_Maybe I'm in Heaven, _he thought.

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine." He smiled.

A door slammed somewhere down the hall.

"Babe, I fixed it but you can't be driving around low on oil; you're gonna burn up the engine."

James almost fell backwards as a tall man about his mother's age walked up the hall and leaned against the door-jam.

"Hey, good to see ya home, Ace." He grinned.

"H-hey, dad." A tear rolled down James' cheek.

"Something wrong, James?" His mother cocked her head slightly.

"No, everything's perfect." James laughed.

* * *

James rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

His ceiling.

His room.

James closed his eyes and pinched his arm.

He opened his eyes and everything was the same.

Same streetlight shining through the window, same hum of the air conditioning, same smell of cookies his mother had made earlier.

But James knew something wasn't right. Everything was too perfect.

He couldn't remember ever hearing anything about his parents like this.

James sat up and ran his fingers through his hair.

Everytime he started drifting off, all he could see were the faces of his friends plunging into the icy water.

Giving up on sleep, James stood up and walked over to his dresser. He ran his fingers across the stack of papers for school.

Everything felt so surreal.

James' thoughts were interrupted by everything going black.

_This isn't happening again_, James thought.

His body felt heavy, like he'd just spent a long day training.

He tried to move his arms but realized they were tied somehow behind his back.

James heard voices. He couldn't hear what they were saying but he recognized his mother's voice.

He blinked his eyes a few times until, ever so slowly, his surroundings came into focus.

He was in a dungeon-like room with chains on the walls and one wall that displayed bloody knives and "medical" instruments.

James' parents were on their knees across from him, blindfolded and gagged with hands and feet tied behind their backs.

"Mom? Dad?" James croaked, his throat dry and sore.

At his voice, their heads shot up.

"James?" They tried to say through their gags.

The door to the room flew open and a man that looked like Hannibal Lecter strode into the room, adjusting his tie.

James' parents heard the man come in and he could hear his mother start crying.

It was then that he saw the bloody marks on their arms and legs.

Two large men came in and jerked them to their feet.

"Hey! What are you doing?" James bellowed. "Stop!"

The Hannibal-wannabe picked a knife from the wall and sauntered to James' parents.

"Are you scared, James?" The man lifted the knife to his mother's throat and tore off her blindfold.

James just glared at him.

"I asked you a question, James." The man glared back at James, who still kept silent.

The man shrugged and slit his mother's throat.

"Mom!"

His mother crumpled in a heap on the floor.

The man tore off James' father's blindfold and held the knife to his throat.

James could see the fear in his eyes.

"Are you scared, James?"

"Stop…" was all James could choke out.

The man slid the knife across his captive's throat and he crumpled to the floor.

"Are you scared, James?" The man knelt in front of him.

James stared directly into the murderer's eyes, unflinching.

The man had just slaughtered his parents right in front of him, and he wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of telling the truth.

The man looked at the two goons and nodded.

One took hold of James and the other took hold of the wings he'd become so used to.

James struggled but became still when he saw the man pick up a pair of large, sharp shears.

"Last chance, James." He said as he came closer.

James struggled, futilely.

The man opened the shears across the wings, right where they met James' back.

"Please, don't!" James cried.

The man clamped the shears closed.

James screamed.


	4. Chapter 4

James' eyes burst open, screaming.

He sat up in a bed in what looked like a hospital room.

Yanking the IV from his arm, James tried to stand but collapsed.

"It's okay, James. Everything's alright." Torunn said, running into the room and kneeling on the floor to hold him.

"Torunn?" James pushed her away so he could really see her. "But, you drowned. We all did."

"That's what you think, Barnes." James turned his head so he could see the doorway and the origin of the voice.

James never thought he'd be glad to see that face, but there he was.

"Hawkeye! You're alive… But, how?" James tried to stand, but couldn't find the strength.

"It's alright, none of us could stand at first, either." Azari passed Hawkeye and, with help from Torunn, got James back on the bed.

"Pym, James is awake. Go get a nurse to put back in his IV." Hawkeye called into the hallway.

James clung to Torunn and Aari's hands and closed his eyes.

_This has to be real. Please let it be real, _he prayed.

Hawkeye pulled up a wooden chair and sat on it backwards while Torunn and Azari sat on the bed, on James' either sides.

A nurse came in with a young man trailing behind.

James allowed her to take the needle still stuck in his arm and trade it out with a new one, this one attached to the IV.

After calming down a bit, James realized all of them were pulling IV's along, including the oddly familiar teenager who was now animatedly jumping up and down.

"So who's the squirrel?" James nodded to the stranger.

The young man stopped jumping and looked straight at James.

"You don't recognize me, either?" The kid rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, groaning loudly. "I'll give you a hint: 4,200 meters."

James looked hard at his smirking face, straight into his eyes until he was sure.

"Pym." James whispered. He looked the kid up and down. This could not be Pym.

Henry Pym, Jr. was a tiny 13 year old and this person in front of James was a 16 year old, 5 foot 4 inch, young man.

"It really is Pym." Torunn squeezed his hand and sighed.

"We have something to tell you." Hawkeye stated.

James adjusted himself in his seat, nervously.

"Well," Azari began. "It all started about two and a half weeks ago. Anthony-"

"Anthony?" James inquired.

"Anthony Stark, Jr." Hawkeye explained.

James furrowed his brow, quizzically.

"Let me start over." Azari sighed. "Everything we've ever known isn't real. We were in a false reality in a machine that changed our memories."

Seeing James' expression, Torunn decided to step in.

"Anthony built a machine a month ago to help people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Anxiety. He thought that if they could face their fears head on, it might help them.

"So he programmed a virtual reality program to pinpoint fears and anxieties and create a story around them, a game to play." Torunn closed her eyes and held her hands in her lap.

"Basically, egg head decided to disobey his old man and call up a few friends as guinea pigs." Hawkeye remarked.

"Anyways," Azari interjected and walked to the window. "The five of us volunteered and came over. We got in and started the system. Everything went fine… for a while." Azari paused.

"After a few hours, our nightmares, our anxieties, rewrote the system. It started to try to make us insane." He shuddered and crossed his arms.

"It erased our memories from the last 16 years and made us relive them in a reality made up of twisted versions of our memories." Pym continued. "However, on year, or rather, day 13, the strain on our bodies was too much. There was no way to get us IV's," he held his arm up, "until we got out. So, Anthony and his dad worked together to find a loophole in the system. They eventually found a way to get us out, but ti had a price."

"We had to literally face the darkest corners of our mind." Hawkeye shuddered. "Whatever your greatest fear was, you faced it in that machine and you weren't allowed out until you confessed."

Torunn put her arm around James. "When we finally got out, we were all very weak and scared. But you were still in there. They explained everything while you were still trapped and when they were finished…"

James looked at her and saw a tear fall.

He wrapped both arms around her.

"When they finished, you came to see if I was okay, but I was screaming."

All heads nodded. Apparently, no one else had screamed while they were under.

They were silent for a few moments until James spoke.

"Okay, so if I did my math correctly, I have 19 years to catch up on." He wobbily stood and walked to the far wall before turning around. "What do I need to know?"

"Well," Azari started. "You know the Attack our parents lost and died at?" He cleared his throat. "They didn't die."

James laughed.

"You-You mean… My mom and dad are… Alive?" James grabbed Azari's shoulders.

"Actually," Azari grinned and copied James. "You are the proud older brother of three kids."

James hugged Azari, picking him up and spinning around, laughing.

"I've got a family! Woohoo!" He cheered.

"Put me down!" Azari shouted.

Torunn laughed as James set him down.

"There's something else you should probably know, but it might be best if someone else tells you." Torunn stood up and hugged James before leaving.

"Come on, we gotta show you around." Hawkeye stood and put his chair back against the wall.

Pym tossed James some street clothes.

"We'll wait for you outside."

James watched as his friends left and shut the door behind them.

_We're all safe,_ he thought.

He smiled.

James layed the clothes on the bed and stripped off his hospital shirt.

Walking towards the mirror on the wall, he ran his hands across the leather straps across his torso.

_Just like in the machine_, he pondered.

Closing his eyes, he reached to touch his back and felt them.

Wings.

James sighed in relief.

_Why am I relieved?_

James opened his eyes and turned so he could see them in the mirror.

They were beautiful, white, feathery wings.

He reached for the straps and unstrapped the belt loops, letting them fall to the floor.

James lifted his left arm, his wing following.

He brought his arm back to his side and tried lifting the wing on it's own.

He lifted the other wing and almost knocked down a lamp.

A smile found it's way to his face.

James closed his wings and picked up the leather "prison," as he now thought of it, and layed it on the top of his hospital shirt.

"Thank you," he whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

James took off his hospital pants and pulled on the jeans. He held up the t-shirt and read it aloud.

"Arctic Monkeys." He raised an eyebrow.

He put it on and slipped on the socks and sneakers next to the bed.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Hey, James?" It was Azari. "There's somebody here to see you and I think you should talk."  
James tucked his wings into the back of his pants and flattened them to the curve of his back.

"Sure, send him in." James called, running his hand through his hair before putting his foot up on the chair to tie the laces.

The door opened and a woman came in, closing the door behind her.

James' foot slipped off the chair. The woman had raven hair and eyes the color of pine needles in winter.

_Definitely not a 'him', _he thought.

"James?" The woman trembled. her voice sounded like an angel's.

James tried to answer but no sound would come out.

The woman ran toward him and wrapped her arms around him.

"I thought I'd lost you." she whispered.

James blinked and looked down at the woman.

"I'm, um, I'm sorry?" he offered, tentatively.

The woman let go and back away, slowly. She put both hands over her mouth and James could see tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh, no, wait. I'm sorry." He held a hand out to her. "Are you alright?" He took a step forward.

For some reason, seeing this woman cry made him want to cry, as well.

"Please don't cry. Please..." he begged.

"You don't know who I am?" she asked through her hands.

James' stomach churned,realizing what the truth would do to her.

He swallowed and looked down. He closed his eyes, trying to hold back his own tears.

_I don't even know her, why am I crying? _he racked his brain.

James clenched his fists, willing himself to stop but when he looked up, he saw her on the floor and gave up on keeping himself together.

He walked over and put his arms around her. He felt every quake and shudder.

"I-" His voice cut out. "Please forgive me. I want to remember you, I really do."

He didn't consciously recognize this woman, he didn't even know her name, but he _knew _her.

"It's alright, darling. I'm sorry." James whispered, stroking her hair.

"I don't dream, not as such." He started to sing, quietly. "I don't even think about you that much. Unless I start to think at all."  
The woman wiped away her tears and sniffed.

"What?" She looked at him, pleading with her eyes.

"I, um..." James realized what he did.

_Do I sing? What song was that?_

He cleared his throat.

"I, uh, I'm sorry I don't remember you." James took her hand in his and squeezed it, tenderly. "But I'd really like to get to know you."" He tried to smile. "Again."

She "smiled" back. "I'd like that, too."

"So, let's start over." James helped her to her feet and held out his hand. "My name's James."

She took his offered hand and shook it. "Lenore." She smiled, a real smile this time.

"Lenore." The name tasted like honey to him.

* * *

A nurse came in and checked James' blood pressure, after Lenore left.

"You feeling alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, just a little tired." he answered.

She cocked her head to the side. "That's understandable." She smiled at him. "There are some people who would like to see you, if you think you're up for it."

_Probably the guys, _he thought.

"Sure." He stood up and leaned against the wall, as was his habit.

The nurse walked out the door and james could overhear her telling someone it was okay to come in.

He sat down in the chair and rubbed his eyes, yawning.

He heard the door open. "James?" a familiar voice asked, quietly.

He looked up and lost his breath.

"Mom..." he gulped.

He stood and stared. A man was just behind her.

"Dad..." James thought about the only time he could remember seeing them in the machine, dying and tears sprung to his eyes, but he cleared his throat and blinked them away.

His mother, Natasha, ran across the room and embraced him. She backed up quickly and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, nervously.

"Oh, right. You don't really know us." She stammered.

"No, no." He smiled and took her hand. "I'm just... Glad to see you."

Natasha smiled and hugged him again.

"Oh, so nothing for me?" The older Barnes smirked.

James looked at his father and smirked back.

"Now why would I want to talk to you?"

Both men laughed and embraced.

* * *

The family talked about life and how James was as a child. His two younger siblings, Danny, age 14, and Lizzie, age 6.

Natasha relayed some of James' most embarrassing moments, which had them all in stitches.

"Please tell me I didn't really do that." James laughed.

"You did!" Natasha responded.

"It wasn't as bad as the wedding!" Bucky, exclaimed, causing Natasha to start laughing uncontrollably.

James' head shot up, as he quickly sobered.

"Wait, what wedding?" James inquired.

His parents exchanged looks.

"We thought you knew." Natasha said, nervously.

"Lenore." James leapt from his seat and rushed for the door but stopped short.

"Address?" He looked back at his parents.

Bucky wrote down the addresson a peice of paper and gave it to him.

"Go get her, kid."

"Wait, catch." Natasha tossed James a wallet. "You're gonna need cab fare."

James caught the wallet. "Thanks." he said, running out the door.

* * *

Outside Stark Tower, he ran down the steps to the street.

"Taxi!" he bellowed, stopping several cabs.

He jumped in the closest one and handed the paper to the driver.

"Please take me to this address, and step on it!"

The cabbie hit the gas and James sat back in his seas and started tapping his foot, impatiently.

_We're married, _he thought. _I'm married to the most beautiful woman in New York._

The car stopped at an intersection.

"Why are you stopping?" James called up to the driver.

"Traffic's backed up. Probably some stinkin' 'hero' trying to show off." the driver compained.

"How far away are we?" James asked.

The man pointed him in the right direction. "About two and a half blocks."

"Thank you." James took the paper and payed the man before opening the door and running between the stopped cars to the sidewalk.

He stopped in front of a pizza place and ran in.

"Excuse me," he said to the older gentleman at the counter.

"James!" The man smiled when he looked up. "I heard you were hurt."

James didn't recognize the man but he felt that he was sincerely glad to see him. "Um, yeah. But, I'm in a hurry."

The man grinned. "Then would you like the usual?"

James nodded. "Yeah, and can I have it quick?"

The man went to the back and started making his pizza.

James looked out the window and saw a flower shop.

"Hey, uh," he tried to remember what the man's name tag said. "Pete?"

The man stuck his head out. "Yeah?"

"I'm gonna run across the street. I'll be right back."

"Alright. Your pizza will be done when you get back."

James ran outside and crossed the street.

When he went inside the shop, he saw signs that said, "Valentine's Day Sale!"

_Aw, crap._

He looked around and saw there were chocolates, too.

he picked up a bouquet of Berrirose and a box of minty dark chocolate and bought them at the register.

After paying, he ran back to get the pizza.

Pete handed him the box and stopped him from pulling out his wallet.

"Think of it as a present for the two Love Birds." He winked.

"Thanks." James put the bouquet sideways in his mouth and ran out the door, chocolate in one hand and pizza in the other.

He ran to the apartment building and into the alley next to it.

he ran towards the opposite wall, jumped and kicked off, landing on the fire escape.

* * *

Lenore sat in her chair with her legs pulled up beneath her. She rubbed her eyes.

_James, my James..._

She started to cry. The radio was playing a bunch of love songs for Valentine's Day and she wanted to take a baseball bat to it.

Just as the first tears were making their way down her cheeks, she heard a quiet tap on the window.

She, curiously, stood up and looked out the window. Nothing.

She opened the window and felt a few snowflakes hit her face as she poked her head out. She turned her head to look at the opening of the alley and almost fell out the window.

There, standing on the fire escape in a t-shirt and jeans, in the snow, was James holding a bouquet of flowers, pizza and chocolate.

"Hi," he said, shivering.

Lenore just stood there, staring.

"Um, can I come in? It's kinda cold out here." James smiled a bit.

She shook off the shock and moved so he could climb in.

James set the boxes on the coffee table and held out the flowers, with his eyes staring straight into hers.

"I'm so sorry. If I had known..." he started. he looked down and swallowed.

Lenore took the flowers offered but held onto his hand.

James looked her in the eye again. "If I remember anything, it's that I love you." He took a step closer and closed bothi his hands around hers.

Lenore felt tears stinging her eyes and she tried, failingly, to hold them in.

James reached up and brushed them away. "I love you," he whispered again.

He pulled her close and Lenore knew without a doubt that this was still her husband. She could feel them both swaying to the music and she smiled.

"I'm gonna stay right here by your side." James began to sing with the radio. "Do my best to keep you satisfied. Nothing in the world could drive me away, 'cause everyday, you'll hear me say-"

As the song continued, James gazed into Lenore's smiling eyes.

He leaned in slowly and pressed his lips against hers, tenderly.

She melted into the kiss and he pulled her closer.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, lovelies.

I apologize for being so late but there's been quite a few family tragedies and then my beta has been busy with SATs.

We're going back to normal chapter lengths (you will remember Chapter 5 was much longer because it was [accidentally] a Valentine's Day special) but I promise I will do my best to update more.

This chapter is unbeta'd since, as aforementioned, my beta is busy with SATs, so please send in suggestions and ideas.

This is where the story actually starts and I had to get a lot of information in such a small space. Have tissues handy because there is major MCU character deaths implied.

* * *

Lenore opened her eyes and blinked away the sleep.

The sun shone through the curtains and she could smell something cooking.

Lenore rolled over and swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled off the thin blanket she was sleeping under.

From the kitchen, she could hear sizzling and the sound of a toaster popping up.

She stood and pulled on her dressing gown before walking out into the hall.

Lenore looked down the hall and could see the couch James had elected to sleep on with the blankets and pillow neatly folded.

"Good morning," James called from over the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room.

Lenore turned to the kitchen and smiled when she saw him.

James stood at the stove, shirtless, with his wings draped behind him.

He scooped the bacon he was cooking out of the pan and onto a plate.

"Sorry," he remarked after noticing her staring at his wings. "Shirts are kinda constricting." He shrugged.

"It's fine," Lenore laughed. "I just didn't think I'd ever see you in the kitchen again."

James set the pan down and walked around the divider so he could stand in front of her.

"Hey," he cupped her chin in his hands. "I promise I'm not going anywhere ever again."

Lenore's eyes stung.

_No, not again. _She blinked the tears away.

James took her hand and pulled her towards a chair at the bar.

"Come eat breakfast," he smiled and kissed her shoulder.

* * *

_Over the next six months, the team (or rather, the group of civilian friends) met many other Avengers' children and became used to their lives._

_Pym, as it turned out, had already graduated from Harvard (with honors) and was working at his dad's lab and shared an apartment with his older sister, Nickie._

_Hawkeye, or "Frankie" as he was called, was your average twenty year old with the exception being he worked for SHIELD under his parents, codenamed Hawkeye and Mockingbird. He was often busy training or visiting his younger sister, Eleanor, at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters._

_Azari spent much of his time at the Wakandan Embassy in New York and even spent the last two months in Wakanda to spend some time wit his parents and sister and "getting used to his duties as a prince."_

_Torunn and James were the only two to not go their separate ways, though they all kept in touch by phone or instant messaging, (thank you, internet) James and Torunn were connected by Lenore._

_James' wife was the daughter of Loki, god of Mischief and brother of Thor, which made her Torunn's cousin._

_Because of this, James and Torunn discovered their lives together._

_From their childhood, filled with "family reunions" (really Avengers getting together to reminisce and meet each others' families) to Lenore and Torunn coming to Earth for High School and eventually staying and, in Lenore's case, marrying her high school sweetheart._

_James was a musician and free-lance photographer before "the accident" and Lenore, a writer, so they weren't usually busy most of the time, freeing up James' time so he could spend as much time as he wanted with his younger siblings, Danny and Elizabeth, and his "cousins", Phillip, Sam and Joanna Rogers, or relearning as much as he could about his wife._

_Sometimes his parents would go on a "job" and he would be left with his siblings under his care for a few weeks and that where he finds himself now..._

* * *

"James!" The little six year old came running up to her eldest brother and clung to his leg.

James chuckled and straightened from his position over the sink, doing dishes.

"What is it, Lizard Breath?" he teased. It wasn't very original but he knew is would get her riled up, as it always had.

"It's Elizabeth," she corrected with a pouted lip before breaking back into a grin. "Guess what Lenore's gonna do." She paused before adding quickly, "If I behave."

"What?" James didn't have to feign excitement when he knelt down with his hands on his knees; he loved his sister and her smiles were especially contagious.

The little girl with the hair of fire just giggled in response.

"I said guess," she laughed.

"Oh, really?" James grabbed his sister and held her upside down, tickling her, which elicited loud shreaks and laughter. "Tell me or I won't stop," he threatened with a false menacing voice.

"Okay, okay," the little girl squeaked out between peals.

James set her down the right way up and ruffled her hair.

"Alright, Little Bite," he whispered playfully. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

Elizabeth smiled, showing her pearly fangs and blue, forked tongue that showed through the two small gaps where her baby teeth had fallen out.

"Lenore says that she's gonna teach me how to ride a bike!" The little girl bounced on the balls of her feet and clasped her hands together in excitement.

"That's great, little one," he beamed. "I'm sure you'll do great."

Elizabeth smiled wider and opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by their other brother, Danny, poking his head in the room.

"James, you're gonna want to get in here, quick," he reported before ducking back into the spare bedroom that he shared with Lizzie.

James and Lizzie came quickly to find the television on and Lenore and Danny watching intently.

"For those of you just tuning in, I am here at the Peace Summit in London and, as you can see," the reporter gestured behind him to a smoking pile of rubble. "There's nothing left."

Lizzie tugged on James' pant leg.

"Isn't that where mommy and daddy are?" Tears began to prick at the little girl's eyes.

James gather her into his arms and held her close.

Their parents had been called to protect the various heads of state there and were supposed to come home and celebrate afterwards.

James felt his eyes burn as he heard the report say "no survivors" and go on to talk about how at the same time the building collapsed, other catastrophes had happened worldwide with the same results.

He barely noticed when Lenore came to him and held on for dear life as he mechanically reached out and pulled her closer.

Danny ran out of the room and James heard a glass shatter.

* * *

A few hours later, James found himself on the couch on a conference call with some of his colleagues.

All of the catastrophes had been in places where Avengers had been; every single one with no survivors.

"There's no _way _this was an accident!" Joanna Rogers' voice rang angrily through the phone.

"Of course it wasn't," Thomas Banner replied. "But we can't lose our heads."

"We need to strategize," Torunn suggested, her voice cracking slightly with repressed emotion.

"Yeah," James agreed.

He looked towards the hall where he could still hear the muffled sobs of his brother and sister and his wife trying to shush them through her own.

"They're gonna pay for this, whoever they are."


End file.
